Special Issue on: "Working In The Automotive Industry"

The automotive sector is in a worldwide process of huge reorganisation at different levels, from single plants
to multinational corporations as a whole, to face the globalisation challenge. The issues at stake in the public
discussion have been mainly related to strategies, organisational schemes and technologies but there are
dramatic processes of change also in the situation of people working in this sector. Therefore, it seem to be
time to add new contributions to the public discussion on the topic of the working conditions and the different
patterns of the social regulation of work. The goal is to cover different situations by countries and brands with
the description and analysis of specific situation also in a comparative perspective.

Subject CoveragePapers to be included in this special issue should be focused on, one or more of the following subjects (the list is indicative rather than exhaustive):

Existing working conditions and current trends

Working hours, shift regimes and current patterns of flexibility

Existing work organisation and patterns of change

The impact of managerial techniques like just in time, just in sequence, lean production, visual management,
milk-run, kanban, SCM, 6 Sigma, etc., on both work organisation and working condition

Assessment of national and international experiences in using teams and groups

Careers and monetary as well as non monetary incentives: experiences and current trends

Management of an international work force mobility: experiences and current trends

Patterns of change in the social regulation of labour

Health and safety: current situation, trends and comparative analysis.

All the topics refer to the situation of both, white and blue collar workers. The special issue welcomes both empirical and theoretical contributions related to the proposed topics. Case studies, surveys and papers based on empirical data are preferred; a rigorous research methodology is required, as well as a review of existing literature and adequate reference to bibliographical sources.

Notes for Prospective Authors

Submitted papers should not have been previously published nor be currently under consideration for publication elsewhere

All papers are refereed through a peer review process. A guide for authors, sample copies and other relevant information for submitting papers are available on the Author Guidelines page